ProDJpc FAQ Answers Page
What software works on the ProDJpc ALLn1?
What kind of connections are available on the ALLn1?
What options are there for sound?
Where can I get the VirtualDJ skin shown on this site?
Can the ALLn1 be used with time code vinyl or CDs?
What is the typical lead time on a ProDJpc ALLn1?
What is RAID 1 and what does it do for me?
What is back-up, why do you make such a big deal of it and what do you recommend for me?
What software works on the ProDJpc ALLn1?
Because this is a super powerful PC at its core, any software that will run on Windows XPPro will work. We have tested many pieces of software including VirtualDJ, NuMark Cue, Sweetlight DMX control, Chauvet ShowXpress, Native Instruments Traktor 3, Deckadance, PCDJ's Reflex, DEX, and VJ, and SoftJock's ROCKIT V4.1, Jukebox Pro, and Multi-zone Audio, Elation Compu Live, Serato Scratch and Scratch Live.
However, we recommend VirtualDJ (www.virtualdj.com) and NuMark Cue (www.numark.com/cue/) for audio, video, visualization and ambients and Sweetlight lighting control (www.sweetlight-controller.com/english/home.html) and Chauvet ShowXpress (www.chauvetlighting.com/support/support_showxpress.shtml) for DMX lighting control. These programs are not only powerful and stable, but they have configurable interfaces, which allows us to customize them to fit the needs of the touchscreen DJ.
What kind of connections are available on the ALLn1?
Much as with any computer, the configuration depends on the user's needs. However, all the units come with at least 6 USB ports, PS/2 keyboard and mouse inputs, 3) 1/8" on-board audio connectors and a Gigabit ethernet input. On audio units that contain a sound card, there are 4) 1/4" TRS connections 2 for stereo audio in and 2 for stereo audio out. On video units, you get 3 video outputs, typically a combination of 2 VGA and 1 DVI connectors.
What options are there for sound?
You can choose to utilize the on-board sound processing, utilize the Maya 44 MKII or other installed sound card, or utilize an external USB sound card or device such as a Rane MP-4 Mixer of Serato Scratch SL1 break-out box.
Where can I get the VirtualDJ skin shown on this site?
The skin you see on the site was developed by ProDJpc for customers who purchase a touchscreen based device.
Can you develop a VirtualDJ skin specifically for me?
The short answer is yes. The longer answer is we are always interested in making your digital DJ experience with our products, totally yours. If you have ideas for a better skin for your ProDJpc ALLn1, give us a call.
Can the ALLn1 be used with time code vinyl or CDs?
Absolutely. Actually, VirtualDJ can be controlled with the standard Audio or Video ALLn1 systems. The ProDJpc team is working on a customized skin that allows the ALLn1 to replace a battle mixer, laptop, keyboard and mouse. Preliminary mock ups appear much more old school than any combination of devices used presently to run time code vinyl or CDs. With its customizeable, ultra-sensitive, touchscreen, you can have all the music representations, filters, cuts, faders, and cues right where you want them.
What is the typical lead time on a ProDJpc ALLn1?
For a standard model, 10 business days is the typical number of days between downpayment and shipping. Depending on the complexity, more customized solutions may take more time, but usually not more than 15 business days.
What is RAID 1 and what does it do for me?
RAID 1 (or mirroring) provides added security for your data by creating a "volume" out a pair of disks. In other words, if you save a file to your machine, it will be saved to the volume, or both disks, at the same time. If either disk one or two should fail during operation the other disk will take over as the solitary disk providing and storing data. If there should be a failure, the computer will alert you upon startup and all you have to do to rebuild the volume is shut the computer down, replace the failed disc and restart the computer. Everything happens automatically from there. You may, however, continue to use the computer until you have the new drive to replace the failed one. Although this is an industry standard mechanical fail safe measure that is available on any ProDJpc ALLn1, it does not replace a robust backup strategy.
What is back-up, why do you make such a big deal of it and what do you recommend for me?
At ProDJpc, we feel an obligation to do everything in our power to make your digital DJing experience enjoyable, easy and safe. Through our design process, we try to make the products fun and intuitive, but when it comes to the safety part, our design can only go so far. We need your help to protect your most valuable asset, your media database. With this in mind, we put together an explanation of the basics of back-up strategy and have provided a few examples to help you get started.
Compiling a terrific collection of digital music, videos, karaoke, ambients, and lighting schemes can take a tremendous amount of your time and effort. It is, therefore, important to protect that investment with a back-up plan that fits your situation. Every plan should take into consideration failure or loss of the hard drive where the data is stored, the computer that the hard drive is connected to, and the potential destruction of the facility where the hard drive, computer, and/or back-up is stored.
A DJ's performance computer can be kept safe by storing it in a secure location between uses, not exposing it to the Internet and not installing unnecessary software, (especially right before an important upcoming event.) Another safeguard is utilizing some form of mechanical redundancy, such as RAID 1 (or mirroring). Although recommended by ProDJpc, RAID 1 only protects against mechanical failure of one drive. In essence, RAID allows the show to go on, in case one of the drives fails. But, computers (and computer users) being what they are, there is always a chance for system or data corruption. With a RAID 1 system, if your system or data becomes corrupt, you'll have a perfect copy of the data corruption on both disks in the volume. The only real protection against corruption, theft and malicious digital vandalism is a backup strategy.
To help you develop your back-up strategy, we'll describe the strategies we have developed for our own usage. You may not employ the exact methodology we do personally, but as long as you consider and protect yourself from mechanical failure, system corruption, physical vandalism, natural disasters and theft, you are probably doing it right.
Paul's personal back-up strategy.
I have installed a network in my office with a wireless router. I rip and encode all of my music, videos, ambients, etc. on my tower computer at my desk. I have a 500 Gig media hard drive installed in my tower that I keep up to date with new media that I process. About once a week, I take the 500 Gig USB media back-up hard drive out of the fire resistant safe I keep in my office closet and update it with the media drive in my computer with ViceVersa, a really terrific piece of software from TGRMN Software (http://www.tgrmn.com/).
With that done, I plug the USB hard drive into my ALLn1 and use ViceVersa again to update my performance unit with my back-up hard drive. Then I put the back-up hard drive back in the fire proof safe and leave it there until the next update. This system always keeps three copies of my media database in different locations in case any one of the hard drives or computers fails and keeps one copy in a fire resistant safe in case a fire destroys both my desk computer and performance machine. Also, at no time are all three of the drives connected to each other in case of system corruption on one of the machines. This would usually happen due to a malicious virus, typically picked up on the Internet.
What about tornadoes, hurricanes, floods, or earthquakes you ask? Well that is where the bank safe deposit box comes into play. If the event of a major fire or tornado hitting my office, I figure I could restore 6 months worth of data pretty quickly with the help of my subscription service. So, once every 6 months, I swap the 500 Gig USB media hard drive in my safe deposit box with the one in the fire safe in my home. In combination with the RAID 1 system I use in my DJ performance system, I sleep well at night knowing my data is safe because I employ a good back-up strategy. If clients ever ask me about my back-up hardware, I also add in a little blurb about my database back-up strategy. Occasionally, the person I am speaking with will understand and be impressed. Otherwise, I think they just feel like I have all the bases covered on their behalf.
What about nuclear attack you say? Well, then you need something like this, (http://infobunker.com/.) If your goal is to be the first DJ playing after a nuclear event, give us a call, we know these folks and can hook you up.
With this article we hope we have not caused any undue concern about digital DJing. For the great majority of computer users, none of the disasters we described will ever happen. But, we believe a good IT based company has to acknowledge these realities and do all it can to protect its clients for the worst case scenarios, so they can ensure the highest odds of easy success.